Magnifying device for thermometers



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

H. C. KIRK, J. T. BRAYTON, H. R. WADER & M. OULEHEN.

MAGNIFYING DEVICE FOR THERMOMETERS.

Patented Nov. 11, 1884.

INVENTCIFQEL WITNEEEEEI w w J (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. O. KIRK, J. T. BRAYTON, H, R. WADER 81; M. OULEHEN.

MAGNIFYING DEVICE FOR THERMOMETBRS. No. 307,775. Patented Nov. 11 1884.

Fig.6 I 5. 5-E

WlTNEEEI-IE- INVEN URE.

. 7 (9M, 5 744 Q V I UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICEO HYLAND CLARE KIRK, JAMES TOMLINSON BBAYTON, HERBERT BOSS WADEB, AND MICHAEL OULEHEN, OF GENEVA, NEIV YORK.

MAGNIFYING DEVICE FOR THERMOMETERS.

' -r IFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 307,775, dated November 11, 1884.

Application filed April 3, 1884. (No model.)

To mZ/ whom it may concern: adjustable to and from the tube to insure a Be it known that we, IIYLAND C. KIRK, proper focus, and to cause the column to be JAMES T. Bnavror, HERBERT R. WADEE, seen from whatever point or direction it may and Mioniinr. OULEHEN, all of Geneva, in be desired. In practice I prefer to place the the county of Ontario and State of New York, tube in a horizontal position, though it is not have invented certain Improvements in Theressential; but in whatever position the tube inometers and Like Instruments, of which the may be placed the reflector, lens, or other magfollowing is a specification. nifying device, will, of course, be placed in a This invention relates to thermometers and position parallel therewith, or subtantially so.

IO like instruments 5 and it consists in combining Referring again to the drawings, A represents with the tube thereof an independentmagnia thermometertube, which may be graduated fying device (one or more) to magnify the liqor not, as preferred,placed in ahorizontalposiuid-column or the liquidcolumn and figures tion, and preferably in front of a scale conor graduations, and enable them to be seen at taining the graduations and figures indicating I 5 a distance. said graduations of as large size as is conven- This invention further consists in means for ient in an instrument of given size. These adjusting the tube and magnifier one in relamarkings may be advantageously arranged altion to the other, in order to vary the relative ternately on opposite sides of the tube, as in positions of the magnifying device and tube or dicated in Fig. 1, in order to enable the fig 20 scale. ures to be made larger than can be done where The magnifying device may consist either of all are on the same side of the tube, though I a reflector of proper shape placed behind or make no claim to this feature, broadly considat one side of the tube, or of a lens, prism, or ered. The lines passing from the graduations enlarging device placed in front of said tube, to the figures may be straight and parallel,

25 as hereinafter more fully pointedout, it being curved or divergent from a common center, 7 5 important, however, that the magnifying deas may be found most convenient, which latvice be separated from and adjustable in relater arrangement is disclaimed herein, being tion to the tube and scale. the subject-matter of claims now pending in In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an application filed by James T. Brayton, on

0 perspective view of the improved device pro the 17th day of April, 1883, Serial No. 91,986.

vided with both a reflector in rear of the tube B represents a magnifying-glass or other and a lens or magnifying device in front theretransparent body, preferably of concavo-con of. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 represent crosssecvex form, but which may be plano-convex,

tions of the device in different forms; and Fig. double convex, prismatic, or of other form in 7 an end view showing the manner of adjustcross-section, as indicated in the several fig 8 5 ing the parts one relatively to the other; Figs. ures. The lens or magnifier, being interposed 8, J, and 10, views illustrating different forms between the scale and tube and the eye of the of scale. observer, serves to magnify both the fluid- The purpose of this invention is to permit column and the graduations or markings of 40 the markings of thermometers and like instruthe scale and those of the tube, if there be ments to be read at a considerable distance any, enabling them to be seen at a considerand with certainty; and to this end it consists able distance. In the same manner a reflector, in extending from. end to end of the tube or O, of concave form, placed in rear or to one scale of such instrument either a reflector side of the tube, serves to magnify or enlarge 5 adapted by reason of its shape to magnify or the markings thereof in a manner that will 5 enlarge the markings, or of a lens, prism, or be readily understood. By combining in the transparent body adapted to enlarge such one instrument the tube, reflector, and lens, markings by producing a divergence of the the reflector maybe made to enlarge the mark rays of light passing through it, such magings or figures, and to throw such enlarge- 50 nifying device, reflect-or, or lens being made inents upon the lens, which in turn will serve IOO to further magnify and enlarge them as well as the liquidcolumn.

To facilitate the reading of the scale at a distance the space between different figures or markings may be differently colored, so as more plainly to mark the dividing-lines between the different spaces or sections, as indicated in Fig. 1.

In order that the magnifying device, whether it be a lens or reflector, may be raised and lowered, so as to direct the rays up and down, or to one or the other side in case the instrument is used in a vertical position,such magnifier is carried by metal clips orbands a in which are swiveled set-screws 12, passing through arms or brackets c, which support the lens, and which are themselves slotted and adjustable, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7, to permit the lens or magnifier to be adjusted to or from the tube and scale. In like manner an adjustment of the tube to and from the reflector may be made by the threaded sleeve, or equivalent means, on the tube-supporting brackets, as shown in Fig. 2. The tube A in the same manner may be made adjustable relatively to the lens or to the reflector, or the reflector may be made adjustable relatively to the tube, though it is preferred in practice to make the lens adjustable; or, if only the tube and reflector be used, to make the tube adjust-able relatively to the reflector.

Various modifications of the device will readily suggest themselves to the skilled maker of instruments of this character, which modifications are within the spirit of our invention. We therefore do not limit ourselves to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described.

In order to permit the reading of the figures from a distance, they may be arranged as in Fig. l, or as in Figs. 8, 9, and 10.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the lines intervening between the ten-degree marks are made of unequal lengths, to give room for figures of larger size than could be used if placed directly in line one above another or side by side, a further space being secured in Fig. 8 by causing such intermediate lines to diverge.

The lenses may be cheaply and advantageously made of tubular form and filled with alcohol, water, or other transparent liquid.

I11 order to secure good results, particularly when a reflector is employed, it is essential that the light be free to pass through the tube, hence the common mode of forming a con-- trasting enamel background for the column in or upon the tube is impracticable or undesired. \Ve therefore form upon the scale-plate, directly in line with and behind the fluidcolumn, a contrasting line of the same width as the column, so that the line and the column will be magnified equally, and being of contrasting colors, will show clearly the 'meeting point of the two colors, that of the column and that of the background, and enable a person to ascertain at a considerable distance the height of the column. This arrangement avoids the necessity of widening the colored background beyond the width of the tube, and thus prevents such color from showing at the sides of the column, as would otherwise occur to great disadvantage of the instrument.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. A thermometer or like instrument provided with a tube, a concave or magnifying reflector in the rear of said tube,and a magnifying lens or transparent body in front of the tube, said parts being formed independent of each other, but combined and arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. A thermometer adapted to be read from a distance, consisting of a fluid-tube, and an independent magnifying lens or body placed in front of said tube, and extending lengthwise of the same parallel with the fluidcolumn, substantially as shown and described.

3. In combination with a thermometertube, a magnifying device, and means, subtube, a magnifying device placed in line therewith, and carried by set-screws b, passing through arms or brackets c, and serving to.

adjust the parts one in relation to the other.

5. The herein-described thermometer, consisting of a fluid-tube, a scale-plate in rear of said tube, and a magnifying device in front of said tube and scale-plate, substantially as shown and described.

6. In combination with a fluid-tube and a magnifying device arranged substantially as shown and described to magnify the fluidcolumn, a scale-plate having its figures placed at one side of the tube and out of line with each other, whereby figures may be used of such size as to be read from the same distance as the magnified column.

7. In combination with the tube of a thermometer orlike instrument, a background having a line of a width no greater than that of the bore of the tube, and of a color contrasting with that of the liquid in the tube, substantially as and for the purpose explained.

\Vitnesses:

S. R. REYNOLDS, G. N. HFMIUP. 

